by Jenni James
She looked down at the lawn to hide her astonishment. “You do know it is not proper to enter a lady’s room.”
He laughed. “I made sure no one was in a state of undress. I waited until it was late enough and I could smell their tea.” He glided closer. “Would you like a push?”
“A what? Can you actually push the swing?”
He tugged upon one of the ropes nearest. “Of course I can.” The whole seat tipped slightly toward him.
“I am amazed. I had no notion a spirit could do such a thing.”
“Why not? We move chairs and curtains and open doors all the time.”
A small shiver ran down her spine. “Please do not say more. I cannot imagine what terror one such as you could cause in a person.”
“Oh, it is a very pleasant pastime,” the scamp answered.
“For you or for them?”
“Definitely, the joy is all on my end.” He looked so dashedly smug, she could not help but grin.
“You are a monster.”
“As I have said already. Now, would you like help or not?”
“Yes, please. Though promise that in the future, you will only do so when I can see you.”
“As you wish.” His deep voice was suddenly in her ear and the swing was moving backward. He let go, and the seat swung forward. “I would not want you wailing about in fright if I startled you.”
Adeline ignored him and stayed that way for a bit, allowing the prince to push her. It was very soothing.
“What? No response at all? I thought for sure the last bit would get a rise out of you.”
She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “No. Not today.” As she took a deep breath, a grin spread upon her features. “I had no notion that a swing could feel so wonderful. ’Tis like flying.”
“Have you never been on one?”
“When I was younger, but I have never felt like this whilst doing so.”
Prince Adrian did not insist on more conversation. Instead, he kindly let her bask in the delightful motion of gently soaring toward the sky. After a few minutes, she said, “Thank you.”
It was as if he understood how much she needed a moment of quiet because he said, “You are welcome. I would gladly push you on this swing for hours to see such contentment upon your face.”
“Oh, dear. Did I let on how enjoyable it was?” She could feel the rising flush upon her cheeks.
“It looked as though you needed to be free of something. To fly away.”
It was as if he had taken the conversation completely away from what she was thinking. “What do you mean?”
“Do your stepsisters often treat you so unkindly? Is that what you’re wanting to fly away from?”
Her breathing halted for a fraction of a moment. Prince Adrian let the swing slowly come to a stop. She waited until he moved around to face her. Every bit of stress and worry and shame came back in that instant. “I would rather not talk about such things.”
“Adeline? May I call you by your Christian name?”
He was royalty—he could call her whatever he wished, and yet he was gentlemanly enough to ask. “Of course,” she said quietly.
“Adeline?”
She slowly raised her head to meet his faded gaze. He may have only been half there, but his stare was incredibly powerful. It felt as though he was the one who could see straight through her and not the other way around. “Yes?”
“I am very sorrowful.”
Her lips began to tremble. “For what?”
He gave her a look of sympathy she simply could not bear. In a flurry of gray skirts, she arose and walked several feet to a rose bush. Her fingers played with the dainty petals as she attempted to appease her tightened chest.
The prince might be gentlemanly, but he was horrid at reading cues given by ladies in distress on when not to speak. Or perhaps he was not used to being thwarted when he wished to learn something. Whatever it was, he was by her side.
“Please allow me to help your situation. I find myself feeling obligated to more and more each passing hour.”
The horrid man would see her cry if she was not careful, and her life was not so tragic that it deserved the humiliation of tears. “What is there to help? I am a servant. You, as a prince, should understand that class distinction more than anyone, and yet, you feel compassion toward me for something that is merely my standing in life. Please do not bring awareness to something I cannot change. It is useless for me to take on an air of conceit or even pity. I am not better than my stepsisters, nor do I expect to be treated as an equal. Therefore, all of the tears in the world will never change that.”
“If I thought I could, I would sweep you into my arms and kiss you right now.”
CHAPTER EIGHT:
“Prince Adrian!” Adeline stared at him in utter shock, the petals long forgotten. “What a thing to say to me.” All at once, she wondered what it would be like to be kissed by such a man—well, if he were a man.
“Is it?” He shook his head and then suddenly sat down upon the grass. Then he made a motion for her to join him.
She looked down at her plain muslin gown and realized it was not fine enough to worry over stains. The likelihood of someone noticing a mark upon it was slim indeed. So with as much dignity as she could muster, she sat down next to the prince. Her heart was pounding so forcefully within her chest, she was certain he could hear it.
He grinned. “You do not have to look so worried. I promise not to ravish you. I only wish to speak to you seriously for a moment and thought that if we were side by side, that might be easier to accomplish.”
She could hardly keep herself calm, the way he created such emotions within her, yet a very strong part wanted to hear every word he spoke. “Very well, Prince Adrian, I am willing to listen.”
“Last night, I did some research in the duke’s study. I found a few information books called The Merchants’ Journal on influential tradesmen, and I found your father listed in them.”
“You did?” She had no idea such books were even written.
“He was a very wealthy man, Adeline. Were you aware that his wealth could rival my own family’s in Germany?”
“I . . . no. But it does not surprise me overly much. I was brought up with the finest of everything.”
“Until your mother died and he remarried?”
“I kept my larger room and my clothing, as well as my tutor and dance instructor—all of it—until he passed. Then the money was not there anymore and economies had to be made and I was forced to give it all up.”
He turned toward her. “How much of that did you actually see for yourself? Or are you merely repeating the words that you have been told?”
“I do not understand what you are implying.”
“I am implying nothing. I am flat-out stating that I believe your stepmother has lied to you. Merchants are not held to the same strict hereditary laws as royalty are. They can pass their wealth on to anyone they choose. Who became your father’s heir?”
“I . . .” She had never thought about it before. “I do not know. Perhaps my stepmother?”
He shook his head. “No. According to the book I read, his child is the sole heir to his fortune. How old were you when he passed on?”
“She was sixteen,” came a voice Adeline had thought she would never hear again. “And leaving her to the fate of the woman I had married was the most foolish thing I have ever done.”
“Father?” Adeline’s throat tightened, and she gasped as she turned to find him, but could not. “Why can I not see you?”
Adrian looked at her as if he were perplexed. “You truly cannot see him? The man is standing right next to you.”
“He is?” She looked over to where the prince pointed. “Right here? Are you sure?”
Her father laughed. “This is almost comical.”
“Well, it does not make sense. Why can I see Prince Adrian, yet not you? ’Tis not fair.”
“We do not always get what we want,
sweetheart,” her father whispered. “Be grateful you can hear me.”
Adeline took a deep breath. “I have wished to hear your voice for so very long. I have missed you.”
“I have missed you as well.”
She felt a soft breeze next to her check and closed her eyes. “Did you just touch my face?”
“Yes.”
She did not know whether it was a rushed sort of excitement, or that moment when you are about to cry, but whatever the feeling was, it felt perfect. “I love you,” she blurted out. “How long can you stay? There is so much I would like to share with you. So many things I have read and heard, and I would love to learn of your adventures too.”
“Oh, my dearest, I fear our being able to communicate has something to do with the prince. If he leaves, we may not be able to converse as we are.”
“But why?” she asked, extremely confused.
Prince Adrian gave a wry grin. “Why is it that only you can see and hear me? None of the other guests can.”
Her father cleared his throat. “Perhaps you two are linked in a peculiar way.”
“Linked?” She tried as hard as she could to see him. “Whyever would you say that?”
Adrian shrugged a shoulder, and her father said, “He is a good man. His heart is kind. And he thinks of you an incredible amount.”
“Well!” Prince Adrian chuckled. “Nothing like baring one’s soul to the world—yet I was not the one to bare it.”
Her father laughed. “’Tis not baring to the world. And I only speak the truth. She needs to understand these things.”
Adeline felt a slight warmness come over her shoulder as if her father placed his hand there.
“I do not want to intrude just now. All I ask is that you listen to the prince, my dear. Listen to what he is about to say to you because it has plagued him a good half of the night and he has no notion how to bring it up. I led him to the merchants’ manual. I wanted him to understand what has happened to you. He needs to know so he can take care of you when the time comes.”
“Take care of me?” She felt as though her eyebrows might fly right off her forehead. “And how is that possible? Are you implying I shall die soon?” The assumption that this poor prince would wish to care for her was mortifying enough and caused her cheeks to burn, but to decide that he must know her past to do so was outlandish.
As if to escape her inquiries, he said, “I shall come again when we have more to speak of, and I promise to answer any question of yours.”
“No. Wait.” Adeline felt as though her head was spinning. “Do not leave me just yet, Father. Please. I need you.”
“No, my dear,” came his vexatious answer. “You only imagine you need me.”
“Why would you say that? You do not know what I have—”
“Good-bye. I will come again later after you have spoken to the prince.”
“No, Father.” A small tear began to form itself in her eye. “Wait a moment.”
“I am so sorry, but he is gone,” Prince Adrian said quietly.
Adeline nodded and attempted a shaky breath. “It is fine.” ’Tis what he constantly did anyway. She should not be surprised. Her father was full of hope and promises that were rarely kept.
“Are you well?” he asked.
Such kindness from him caused the first tear to fall. “I am fine. Just . . . merely missing my—”
She felt his arms go around her and pull her into his chest. “I can hold you!” he exclaimed as if he were shocked and then adjusted her a bit easier next to him. “Forgive me, but I am going to take some liberties right now and act as a gentleman ought not and hold you. My heart is nearly bursting with the pain I see across your features, and I do not know how to take it away from you.”
“’Tis nothing. I am only a little sad.”
“No, dear, you are not a little sad. There are a great many emotions flinging about inside of you, as you have every right to experience. I am not certain where your father went or why. He should not have done so, and I am not convinced he deserves your tears right now.”
CHAPTER NINE:
“Are you upset with him?” Adeline asked, a bit in awe.
“More than upset, dearest,” Adrian said. “I am particularly disappointed. What father leaves his daughter so quickly when she requests him to stay?”
Adeline wiped her eyes. “Mine. But do not fret over it—I am used to him. I do not think he has ever been able to handle the hard things. He tends to flee more often than not as soon as life gets uncomfortable.” It was a pleasant sort of feeling to be pressed up against the prince as she was. She could tell he had been a strong young man in his day, and for a moment, she was grateful only one other person could see him. She did not want to imagine what would be said if a guest happened upon them just now. As it was, she would have a deuced difficult time explaining what she was doing in the first place.
“Adeline, may I pry a bit more?” he asked.
This had to be the most perfect way to get a lady to open up about anything. It was a calming experience to feel so secure and cared for. “Is that not what you have been doing all along?”
“Yes.” She could hear the grin in is voice. “But now I wish to pry even more, and you may beg me to stop at any time.”
“Very well. What do you wish to know?”
She felt his hand gently run along her back, causing all sorts of ticklish tingles. “Tell me about when your father remarried. What was it like?”
Adeline smiled at the memory. “It was delightful. I was so happy that I would finally get a mother again, and sisters too. I was not raised to think of class, and I did not wonder about my own social standing. I was merely twelve and only eager to be part of a bustling family full of love again. It was not long before it was made clear that I was not, nor was I ever meant to be, as special as they were. I soon learned class distinction and about the royal families. And that my own birth was meaningless unless my father gained a title. In fact, my stepmother spent all of her married life calling in favors, trying to secure my father a title of some sort, yet he died too soon. And then everything began to change.”
“You mentioned a little, but tell me more.”
It was almost hypnotic how pleasing it felt to be in Prince Adrian’s arms. She could easily fall asleep being held by him. Oh, the scandal! She giggled to think she could cause rumors to fly with a prince, and then answered him before he caught wind of her thoughts, for she was not certain if he could hear them or not.
“When my father died, my stepmother called us all into a room and informed us that there would be not much money left. She asked me to give up my sleeping quarters, as she had plans to move in there and be closer to her daughters during that trying time. I did not swap rooms with her. Instead, I was placed in a guest room at first, and then when my stepmother planned to shut down the south wing, I was placed in the attic. Slowly, the servants were dismissed, and I became a companion. My gowns were given to my stepsisters, and I was provided with two sturdy gowns and reminded that as a servant, I was not expected to have nice clothes.”
“Did you never inquire after a solicitor?”
“How? Who would I have called upon? I know so very few people.”
“Yes, but as I mentioned earlier, in the latest Merchants’ Journal, it specifically states that you are the sole heir to his fortune.”
She pulled back a little to look at him. “And did my father really show you the book? Do you know him well?”
“I . . . I felt compelled to look in the book. I did not see your father like I did a few minutes ago, no. I had no idea he was behind me, seeking the book out in the first place.” He slowly brought her cheek back down to his chest. “Forgive me, but it feels exceptional to have you in my arms. Will you indulge me a little while longer?”
“Hmm …” How could she argue with him?
“If you are the sole heir, why would your stepmother not tell you? Is she attempting to change the will? To produce another p
aper stating it is his wife who received the monies? And do you suppose this is why you have little money left, because she is living off some pension or something of hers, and not your father’s money at all?”
“It is the first I have considered any of this. I was told for so long that the inheritance was not left to us because we were not males, yet I knew of no male relation of my father’s. Not that it mattered overly much.”
He shook his head. “One thing confuses me greatly. Why were you not told by your father’s solicitor? I know you said you have not sought one out—however, why did he not come to you? All of this should have been revealed years ago. None of this was meant to be kept in secrecy or your father would not have wished it to be posted in the Merchants’ Journal.”
“When was the book printed?” she asked, her mind muddling through the outrageous declarations Prince Adrian was making.
“The duke has collected every January’s edition of both the Gentlemen’s Journal and the Merchants’ Journal. I assume he has them for investment purposes. Your father’s company continued to expand quite nicely, and now has remained steady for the past four or five years. Someone is looking after his wealth and handling the business end. Someone, though not continuing to grow the company, has made a substantial profit year after year and has maintained the money. If it is not you, we must soon find out who that person could be.”
CHAPTER TEN:
Adeline’s heart raced, imagining the secrecy and lies—lies she would have never known about had she not come here and met Prince Adrian. “Why are you so kind to me? Is it because I can see you?”
“No. I do not know what draws me to you as it does, but your father was not jesting when he told of my need to know more of you.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Though I must say, it certainly increased when I overheard your family berating your name so unjustly earlier.”
“Oh.” A wave of embarrassment washed over her. “Yes, well, they do not intend to be so cruel. I am positive they were only aggravated by their lack of sleep.”
